It's March 21 and there's still lots of snow outside. (Ugh.) But signs of spring are beginning to show themselves.

Last night was one example. I had an OWL MOON moment. You know, "Sometimes there's an owl, and sometimes there isn't," Jane Yolen writes.

But last night...there are two.

I'm a little red-eyed today because of the Whoo-whoo--whoo-whoo-whoo mating calls that went on for over an hour. But it was exciting—as exciting as a book I just discovered!

It also stars some snowy animals, and although it's not technically a fractured fairy tale (this week's PPBF theme), it is a remake of an old classic song.

What's remarkable about it is that the rhyme and meter are FLAWLESS.

Although I'm pretty sick of winter already, this book is so fantastic I'm willing to post another winter book on my blog.

Librarians and teachers will love this one.


Author: Kim Norman
Illustrator: Liza Woodruff
Publisher: Sterling, 2013
Genre/Category: Picture book, rhyme
Ages: 3-8
Topics: Winter, snow, arctic, skiing, polar regions, animals, song, rhyme, remake/adaptation
Synopsis: A bunch of arctic animals have fun winter adventures in each verse of this "Happy and You Know it" remake.

Why I chose it: Did I mention that the rhyme is PERFECT? Wow, makes a librarian's, teachers, or parent's job fun and easy. My kids love it. It's just a really well-done book from text to illustrations.

Resources:

You can buy a version of the book with an audio CD here.

Here's the video where the author explains where she got the original idea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAJfPCdanpI

Here are some photos from National Geographic Kids about Arctic Animals (this book features everything from Moose to Belugas!):
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/photos/arctic-animals/

Here are some worksheets and printouts all about arctic animals:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/coloring/arcticanimals.shtml

If you want a list of other fairy tale remakes, check out Susanna Hill's PPBF list!

Now...